Tag Archives: story

Today we begin a discontinuous set of posts as part of a “blog tour” featuring fellow members of the Codex Writers online community.

Our first featured author is Gareth L. Powell, author of the novels The Recollection (forthcoming from Solaris Books) and Silversands, and the acclaimed short story collection The Last Reef. He is a regular contributor to the wonderful British SF magazine Interzone, and his work has appeared in a number of recent anthologies.

Gareth has given guest lectures on creative writing at Bath Spa University, and has written a series of non-fiction articles on science fiction for The Irish Times. In addition to Interzone, his work has been published in magazines all over the world, including: Hub, Best SF, Concept Sci-fi, Infinity Plus, Fiction, Ennea, Nowa Fantastyka, Aphelion, Quantum Muse, Byzarium, Phantastes, Bli Panika, Tank, Outshine, and Efimero.

Gareth’s short story “Ack-Ack Macaque” won the Interzone Readers’ Poll for best short story of 2007. He can be found online at www.garethlpowell.com.

(The Recollection cover art. Click to enlarge.)

Gareth’s new book, The Recollection, combines contemporary action with far-future “space opera”:

In modern-day London, failed artist Ed Rico is secretly in love with his brother’s wife, Alice. When his brother disappears on a London Underground escalator, Ed and Alice have to put aside their personal feelings in order to find him. Their quest reveals to them terrifying glimpses of alien worlds and the far future.

Meanwhile, 400 years in the future, Katherine Abdulov must travel to a remote planet in order to regain the trust of her influential family. The only person standing in her way is her former lover, Victor Luciano, the ruthless employee of a rival trading firm. And in the unforgiving depths of space, an ancient evil stirs…

I really appreciate Gareth taking the time to answer a few questions about how he took the idea for The Recollection and turned it into reality.

How long was it between first conceiving this project and actually starting to work on it in earnest?

I conceived the core idea of The Recollection in 2003, shortly after I finished writing my first book, Silversands. I wrote some plot and background notes, and then put the idea to one side. At that time, I hadn’t had anything published, and I figured it would be a lot easier to generate some interest in Silversands if I had a few magazine credits to my name; so I spent the next few years concentrating on short fiction.

I made my first sale to Interzone in 2006, and that led to the publication of my first short story collection The Last Reef in 2008. After that came out, I decided the time was right to take the lessons I’d learned from short fiction and apply them to a novel-length project; and so I dug out my old notes and started work. Along the way, Silversands was picked up by Pendragon Press and published last year.

How long did it take to complete the book? How did the stages progress, e.g., research, writing, editing, etc.?

Not long after I started writing the book, I was introduced Jon Oliver, the Editor-in-Chief of Solaris Books, at a convention. He agreed to take a look at it, so I sent him the first 50 pages and a 3000-word synopsis, on the strength of which he commissioned the novel. After that, it was simply a matter of finishing the book.

I finished the first draft at the end of October and sent it out to a handful of friends for their comments. Then, having made one or two slight changes based on their feedback, I delivered the manuscript to Jon in November.

What major obstacles did you have to overcome while working on The Recollection? How did you overcome it them?

The obstacles I had were the same as those faced by anyone with a young family, a mortgage and bills to pay. I had to squeeze my writing time between my day job and my parental responsibilities.

Luckily, I have a patient and understanding wife. With her encouragement, I took a part time job which allowed me a free day during the week to write while the kids were at school. I also wrote in the evenings after they were in bed.

I found that by trying to write every night, I soon got in a routine and the words started to flow. I didn’t worry too much about hitting a daily target; if the words came and were good, I was happy. Even if I only wrote a paragraph in an evening, I knew that the next day I might write two or three thousand words, so it all balanced out; and every sentence was a step closer to my goal.

(Gareth L. Powell. Click to enlarge.)

What was the biggest surprise you got out of working on The Recollection?

I was surprised at just how much fun this book was to write. By the time I was halfway through, I was flying along. The characters and plot had come alive, and I couldn’t wait to dive in each day and spend some more time in their company.

Most of the short fiction I’ve written has been set on Earth in the near-future, so it was great to be producing an epic widescreen space opera. As a kid, I always loved those sorts of books. I dug the hardware. So it was fantastic to have the chance to pour my love of the genre into a book of my own.

What’s your next project?

I have other novels up my sleeves. There may even be a sequel or two to The Recollection. I am also considering a second short story collection, bringing together a lot of the stories I’ve had published in magazines and anthologies over the last couple of years, since the release of The Last Reef.

___

Speaking of anthologies, Gareth’s work is featured in a number of recent anthologies, including Shine (Solaris, 2010), Conflicts (NewCon Press, 2010), Dark Spires (Wizard’s Tower, 2010), 2020 Visions (M-Brane, 2010), and Future Bristol (Swimming Kangaroo, 2009).

The Recollection will be released on September 1st, 2011, but can be pre-ordered now on Amazon.

by

I’ve signed and mailed back the contract for my first short-story sale to Analog Science Fiction & Fact.

My story, currently titled “Therapeutic Mathematics and the Physics of Curve Balls,” will appear in a forthcoming issue. I’ll post details as they come.

by

I was not a Boy Scout for long — one of many childhood endeavors I didn’t complete, and opportunities I squandered — but I was a Scout long enough to remember the motto: “Be Prepared.”

Would that I had lived up to it last night.

It’s not that I didn’t prepare at all for my part of the “Speculative Fiction Night” sponsored by Bull Spec magazine (fourth issue on newstands now!). Before I left the house, I thumbed through Orson Scott Card‘s Characters and Viewpoint and a couple of novels to check my memory of their treatment of point of view — including, for instance, Robert A. Heinlein’s The Number of the Beast, with its multiple first-person storytelling.

Then, having made no notes and instead trusting to my memory, I drove to Durham. My intent was to conduct a thoroughly unscientific poll of the forty or fifty attendees on their reading preferences (which I did, though not well) and to ask them how much an author’s choice and handling of point of view affects their reading enjoyment (which I botched most thoroughly). That’s right: after stumbling through the first few questions, I forgot the key question I meant to ask the audience.

Overall, and despite my poor performance, the event went quite well. I chatted with several author friends and SF&F fans, and heard some nice praise from the audience for Baen Books (and especially the new Baen website). I finally snagged a copy of The Greyfriar — with a name like Gray, how could I not? — and got Clay and Susan Griffith to sign it, and also picked up Forbidden Cargo by newly local author Rebecca Rowe. If I didn’t have to go to work this morning (thanks, Tuesday’s ice storm, for throwing off my schedule), I could’ve spent more time with Samuel M. Blinn, Bull Spec editor and our host for the evening, Ada Milenkovich Brown, James Maxey, et al. But, alas, my devotion to Ben Franklin’s dictum forced me home.*

In sum, it was a nice evening — I just wish I’d done better for my part. For anyone who might have been there, I apologize for my unpreparedness. The next time I go to something like that, I’ll just plan to read from a short story and be done with it.

___
*I don’t know why I follow his advice. So far it hasn’t made me particularly healthy, wealthy, or wise.

by

This week I confirmed that my one publication in 2010 — “Memorial at Copernicus,” in Redstone Science Fiction — did, in fact, make me eligible for the Campbell Award. For folks unfamiliar with Science Fiction and Fantasy awards, the full title is the “John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.”

One story, of course, is not enough to justify actually being nominated by WorldCon (specifically, Renovation) members. But … since eligibility runs by calendar year, I wonder if I can sell enough stories to have something to show by the time 2011 winds down and my eligibility ends. Probably not at the rate that I write and submit them. And even if everything I sent out got accepted tomorrow, I doubt I would have a great shot at winning.

Still, it’s a delicious irony whenever someone my age is eligible to be the best “new” anything.

And in the end, I don’t want to feel as though I let my eligibility go to waste. So back to the grindstone I go. And to the Post Office, as soon as I print out a couple of manuscripts.

by

For this introvert who rarely ventures forth into polite company, or even impolite company, last night was especially uncommon: I had two New Year’s Eve parties to attend.

First was a soiree hosted by James Maxey, featuring many of our fellow Codex Writers who live in North Carolina. (Last year James convinced us all to go to breakfast together on New Year’s Day, and he’s hosted movie nights and other parties — he’s a great instigator of these get-togethers.) Terrific conversation, some truly excellent food, and of course some folks were just arriving when I was getting ready to leave for the next event. C’est la vie.

Driving at 10 p.m. on New Year’s Eve is quite pleasant, because hardly anyone else is on the road. So I made good time getting to the second party, a small gathering of folks from North Cary Baptist Church. I arrived too late for the games, but still found plenty of wonderful food to eat, and it was good to ring in the New Year with family and friends.

Which brings me to this morning. As usual, I was the first person awake in the house, so after feeding the dog and the cat I decided to start off 2011 by adding a few paragraphs to the short story I’ve been writing. I didn’t write much — maybe 150 words — so the gesture was more symbol than substance, but it feels good to have started the year doing what I think I’m supposed to be doing.

And with that, I wish for all of you a 2011 that starts off right, gets progressively better, and ends with spectacular success.

by